huntin24/7
Well-known member
When we found out back in June that my wife drew a bighorn sheep tag, neither of us could believe it. It didn't take her long to understand just how fortunate she was, and I was ecstatic just to have the opportunity to go along on on a sheep hunt.
The preparation began immediately looking at maps, calling biologists, warden, and former hunters. I have no idea how much time we spent looking at maps and Google earth. I also got some good advice from several members here, particular MTmiller who I kept in touch with throughout the scouting and hunting season. He was a great source of info and we really appreciate the great info we got from him and others from this site.
In August, we finally got a chance to put boots on the ground for the first time and got our first look at rams. It was awesome! It didn't take long for us to realize that access would be the biggest hurdle for this hunt. Although there were places to access, and she had worked her butt off to be able to physically handle the hunt, I knew 8-12 mile hikes in the heat were out of the question. We decided we were going to go all in and strictly hunt the river.
She was more fussy than I thought she would be, and actually passed on probably 4 larger rams than the one she shot. We knew it was not going to be a high scoring ram, but was one of the few full curl rams we saw and had the look the wanted all along. We had a fun stalk and after 10 days of hiking and hunting, she took her once in a lifetime ram.
It was a great time being able to experience all the highs and lows of this hunt together. I couldn't have been more proud of the effort she put into preparing for this hunt, and she stayed true to her word that she was going to pack out the head and cape once she got her ram. We spent a ton of time preparing for this hunt between pouring over maps, talking to biologists, wardens, and former hunters and scouting. Probably the proudest moment for me was when she said she wanted us to do this by ourselves on public ground. I would have done it no other way myself, but considering that it was my idea for her to put in for the unit, I gave her the option that I would pay a trespass fee to access a good area if she wanted. We don't have lots of money to pay trespass fees, but I would have come up with it for her if she wanted. She was adamant that we would not be doing it that way, and it made me really proud of her knowing how much easier it would have been to kill a trophy that route.
We saw a lot of sheep which really made things fun. There are a bunch of young rams that should mean good hunting for those hunting here in the future.
We owe a big thanks to our family and friends who helped with the logistics of this hunt and watching our kids and dogs so that we could be fine as much as we were. Also, big thanks to the biologists and wardens from region 6 for their help and former hunters who shared a wealth of knowledge. Thanks again to the guys from this site that helped us out in preparing and researching this hunt as well. I hope someday I can help someone else out with this hunt the way we were. Feel free to message me if you ever draw this and I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can.
The preparation began immediately looking at maps, calling biologists, warden, and former hunters. I have no idea how much time we spent looking at maps and Google earth. I also got some good advice from several members here, particular MTmiller who I kept in touch with throughout the scouting and hunting season. He was a great source of info and we really appreciate the great info we got from him and others from this site.
In August, we finally got a chance to put boots on the ground for the first time and got our first look at rams. It was awesome! It didn't take long for us to realize that access would be the biggest hurdle for this hunt. Although there were places to access, and she had worked her butt off to be able to physically handle the hunt, I knew 8-12 mile hikes in the heat were out of the question. We decided we were going to go all in and strictly hunt the river.
She was more fussy than I thought she would be, and actually passed on probably 4 larger rams than the one she shot. We knew it was not going to be a high scoring ram, but was one of the few full curl rams we saw and had the look the wanted all along. We had a fun stalk and after 10 days of hiking and hunting, she took her once in a lifetime ram.
It was a great time being able to experience all the highs and lows of this hunt together. I couldn't have been more proud of the effort she put into preparing for this hunt, and she stayed true to her word that she was going to pack out the head and cape once she got her ram. We spent a ton of time preparing for this hunt between pouring over maps, talking to biologists, wardens, and former hunters and scouting. Probably the proudest moment for me was when she said she wanted us to do this by ourselves on public ground. I would have done it no other way myself, but considering that it was my idea for her to put in for the unit, I gave her the option that I would pay a trespass fee to access a good area if she wanted. We don't have lots of money to pay trespass fees, but I would have come up with it for her if she wanted. She was adamant that we would not be doing it that way, and it made me really proud of her knowing how much easier it would have been to kill a trophy that route.
We saw a lot of sheep which really made things fun. There are a bunch of young rams that should mean good hunting for those hunting here in the future.
We owe a big thanks to our family and friends who helped with the logistics of this hunt and watching our kids and dogs so that we could be fine as much as we were. Also, big thanks to the biologists and wardens from region 6 for their help and former hunters who shared a wealth of knowledge. Thanks again to the guys from this site that helped us out in preparing and researching this hunt as well. I hope someday I can help someone else out with this hunt the way we were. Feel free to message me if you ever draw this and I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can.
